An ARK Story
by ModernSpartan
Summary: When Liam wakes up on a strange Island filled with dinosaurs, he must find a way to survive the elements. Then one day he meets another strange survivor, one that holds the life of every survivor on the Arks in the balance. (my attempt to give ARK a real story) {Rated T for violence, its an island with dinosaurs after all. Ill try to keep it K for the majority though}
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

 **A while back I read a comment written by an author of an ARK fanfic, explaining that because ARK has no storyline it's hard to write for.** **That comment made me wonder if I could overcome that obstacle, and manage to create a story of my own based entirely on things in the game.** **With that, I have decided to try my hand at my first ever Fanfiction.**

 **I will say right away that things will happen in this story that cannot happen in the game, including long-lasting injuries, taming without knockouts, intelligent animals with unique personalities, and an Island that is much larger in the narrative than in game (Though its Geography will remain mostly identical).** **I also intend to give the Obelisks a purpose, far beyond the simple character transfer stations they are now.** **However, none of these things will feel out of place in the ARK universe.**

 **Most importantly, I cannot promise consistent updates to the site.** **I absolutely intend to finish this story completely, however I am at a point in my life where major changes are taking place, as well as school and a full-time job (Not to mention I have ADHD, which makes it hard to stay on any task for long periods of time).** **That being said, I make the promise to update whenever I can, and I will try to respond to questions and reviews in quick notes at the end of each section.**

 **OK, enough with the boring disclaimer!** **Time to get to the story!**

Act One: The Awakening

Chapter 1

Liam's sluggish mind was aware of a rhythmic pounding nearby, and he struggled to think of what it could be. From behind the shelter of his eyelids, he could feel the comforting warmth of the sun's rays on his skin, and he found it difficult to shake off the feelings of grogginess. However, he was slowly becoming aware of an annoying itchy feeling all over his back and legs, and he struggled to open his eyes against the harsh light of midday. He sat up in a daze and looked around, taking in the veritable Tropical Paradise surrounding him. He was tempted to lay right back down on the beach, and slowly closed his eyes…

 _A BEACH?!_ Liam suddenly registered what he had seen, and he took in his new surroundings in shock. He was sitting on a small strip of sand that was partially sheltered by large cliffs. Behind him lay what appeared to be an Ocean, though he couldn't be sure of that. Far off in the water, he could make out a distant landmass, possibly an island. He raised his left arm to shield his eyes from the sun, then recoiled in shock at the sight of it. Imbedded in his skin, just below his left wrist, was a piece of metal shaped like a diamond. It glowed blue at its center, and surprisingly didn't hurt despite being buried in his flesh.

 _An… implant?!_ Liam thought to himself. _Who would do something like this to me?_ _I'm just…_

That's when Liam realized something horrifying. He couldn't remember ANYTHING! He desperately tried to recall an important detail of his life, but he couldn't even remember where he came from! _My name is Liam._ _I know that._ _My last name is….._ He couldn't even think of that. His entire life seemed to be an empty space in his mind. He struggled to his feet, looking around in a panic for any sign of another person. Not a soul in sight in either direction, just a few large birds flying out over the water.

 _OK Liam, calm down._ _You need to settle down and focus._ He gave himself a quick checkup for injuries, but he was unmarked. Not a single scar or bruise could be found, which seemed wrong to him. He was wearing a pair of plain white shorts with tattered cuffs, and his pale white arms and legs seemed much more muscled than they should have been. He looked like a track star, and that bothered him to no end. _I've never been fit!_ _I always spent my time…._ He yelled in frustration at his lack of memory. Nothing about his circumstances made any sense, and it hurt his head trying to think of where he should be.

A strange honking cry answered his yell. He looked around in confusion, following the sound to its source at the top of the cliffs. The edge was lined with small shrubs, one of which was shaking violently. Suddenly the bush collapsed, and a large head looked down at Liam. It was, quite possibly, the strangest looking animal he had ever seen. It had a long head like a horse, but the similarities stopped there. It had a wide flat mouth like a duck bill, and seemed to have a long horn extending out from the back of its head. The rest of its body was hidden behind the bushes, but the size of the head told Liam it had to be enormous. As he watched the newcomer, it let out another honk, then drew back out of sight.

 _That thing looked familiar_ Liam thought to himself. _Something I read about maybe?_ A memory seemed to be trying to surface, but the void in his head remained. He shook the thought aside, and decided to explore the area a bit. He turned right and headed up the beach, his head on a swivel for any sign of life. He walked for a fair distance, until the sand took a left around the base of the cliff. He rounded the corner and froze in shock. There, munching on the berries under a torn-up bush, was a dinosaur. A real live dinosaur, not twenty feet in front of him. The name of the creature came to him out of nowhere. _A Triceratops!_ He thought dumbfounded. The big green dinosaur was bigger than a pickup truck, and was very heavy set with four short muscular legs. Its huge bony head sported two long white horns, with a third smaller one growing straight up from the top of his snout. The animal glanced over at Liam with a bored expression, then resumed eating its berry stash.

Various bellowing and honking sounds finally drew his attention further up the beach, and the sight lying before him was one of absolute wonder. The curve in the beach led to a small cove lined with trees, and at its deepest point was the mouth of a river. Lining the beach and the tree line were dozens of dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. Some of their names he knew, including the Brontosaurus with its long neck towering above a body the size of a gymnasium, or the Ankylosaurs with their boney shells on their backs and their huge clubbed tails. Others were a mystery to him, including a group of Ostrich dinosaurs running around the feet of the enormous Brontos. A few of the duck billed dinos wandered around with a herd of Triceratops, tearing up bushes to eat the clusters of berries at its base. _If this doesn't prove I'm nowhere near home, nothing will._ Liam thought to himself, still trying to absorb the sight. A land of dinosaurs existed somewhere in the world. His mind was still a blank, but he still knew that this shouldn't be possible ANYWHERE. There were even flying dinosaurs filling the sky, huge bat-winged creatures with long beaks and a long horn growing off the backs of their heads. They were as large as a car, yet flew with all the grace of a Hawk.

Liam slowly came to an unfortunate realization. A place like was unheard of to him, and he figured that anyone else from… well any other people out there would think the same thing. Which meant that the only rescue he could expect would be from whoever put him here in the first place. That meant he might be here for a long time, and thus he needed to find a way to live here until he could either find other people, or find a way to escape. That said, he would need to try and find shelter of some kind in this place. He would also need a way to defend himself, because he had a sinking feeling that not every dinosaur in this land was a plant eater. _I will survive this place!_ _I WILL make it home!_ _Wherever that is anyway…_

The first Triceratops he had seen was slowly ambling toward him now, heading for some more berry bushes. A slight edge of hunger became known to Liam as he watched the dinos eat, and he began to wonder if the berries under these bushes were safe for him. The three horned dino reached a bush and lowered his head, sticking a horn under one of the shrubs next to Liam. With a slight grunt, it ripped the entire bush out of the ground, revealing the underground hoard of colorful berries beneath. _Since when do berries grow under the dirt?!_ Liam looked closer at the colorful pile, then realized something else. There were 5 different kinds of berries under the same bush colored Red, Blue, Yellow, Black, and White. Be looked behind him at one of the other shrubs on the beach and sat down next to it, digging away the sand at it's base. Sure enough, be began to uncover a large cluster of multi-colored berries, and picked a few off to test. The blue ones were by far the sweetest, while the yellow and red ones had a nice sharp flavor. His hunger began to ebb slightly as he ate, and now he reached for a group of the black berries and popped one in his mouth.

Instantly, he regretted that decision. It held a horrible bitter taste, and immediately his vision became foggy. He struggled to vomit it back up, but he was starting to lose focus of his surroundings. He tried standing up, but his legs gave way, depositing him on his back on the sandy shore. Despite his best efforts, he slowly drifted into unconsciousness…..


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Liam slowly regained consciousness, though all his body wanted to do was sleep. He lazily opened his eyes, only to be met by the looming face of one of the duck billed dinosaurs. "AHH!" He let out a startled yelp that scared the animal off. It backed up a few paces and honked, seemingly offended. Looking at the dinosaur in detail, Liam was certain he had seen a picture of something like it before, but he couldn't remember its name for the life of him. _Why is it I can remember names and words, but not when I learned them?! Even then, not everything comes to me…_

The duck billed dinosaur took a cautious step forward, still curious about this strange creature it had found. Liam looked around him, and remembered he was still next to his berry bush. He dug under the bush and came up with a colorful berry cluster. He held it out to the curious animal, and the dinosaur lifted its head in surprise. It slowly crept forward, watching Liam for any sudden movements. Then without warning, it lunged forward and grabbed the entire grape bushel out of his hand. The animal then moved a few feet away and sat down, nibbling the treat.

 _Nice to know that some of these creatures are friendly._ Liam thought, watching the curious duckbill eat. He noticed that the animal took great care to avoid both the black and white berries on the cluster. _Not all that surprising, He_ thought to himself. _Whatever is in those black berries must be quite powerful!_ Liam shook his head, and turned his attention to the future. Clearly there was food and water in this area, and the dinosaurs here appeared to be friendly. Therefore, it would likely be prudent to set up a shelter of some kind here. He would need to scout for a good home however, so he grabbed the last bunch of berries under his bush to save for later. _It's too bad I don't have pockets. I want to start gathering materials._

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, then the berries in his hand vanished in a blue flash of light. _"_ Wait...WHAT?!" He spoke aloud. He looked around and grabbed a small rock off the ground and looked at it, but it stayed in his hand. _So...am I just crazy?_ He turned the rock over in his hand, then realized something: The implant in his arm was flashing. Crazy as it was, he tried something. "Store it" He told the implant. Instantly the rock vanished in the same fashion, and the implant stopped flashing.

Liam started to examine the implant in detail, knowing that if it could store items, he must be able to get them back. He held it up in-front of his face…and suddenly his vision turned blue. Seconds later, he was looking at himself. Well a picture of himself anyway. He was looking at some kind of digital screen, with a panel labeled Inventory on the left and a computer-generated image of himself at its center. The inventory screen had pictures of the different types of berries he had picked up, as well as the rock he had just stored. Under his picture at the center, he could see various status bars telling him about himself, which confused him to no end. They showed his health ( _Thank goodness, its full_ ), hunger ( _I suppose I could eat something_ ), thirst ( _I guess I could drink too_ ), stamina _(How could it know that?),_ strength level _(I'm not THAT weak!_ ), weight ( _On an island of Dinosaurs, I still must watch Calories?_ ), and fortitude ( _Whatever that means_ ).

Then he noticed something odd. The labels had a plus sign next to them, and a notice on-top of the screen told him he had three Engram points available. He had no clue what these things meant, but on a hunch, he told the screen to add one to health. The number one-hundred on the bar suddenly jumped to one-hundred twenty, which came as a pleasant surprise. _I can augment my body? THAT could come in handy!_ He put the other two points into strength and speed, and suddenly the screen changed. Now he was looking at a page full of pictures. Most of them were just black outlines, but at the top were color pictures of a campfire, a stone pick, a hatchet, and a torch. The screed then told him to choose what blueprints he wanted using three points. _Blueprints? Can this thing make tools?_ He took another guess and asked for the pick, the hatchet, and the campfire. As fast as the screen had appeared, it vanished, replaced by the first page.

That's when he realized there was another tab next to the label of Inventory, called Crafting. _OK I get it! I chose designs I want, then the implant tells me how to make them! Though apparently, I must earn the right to use new items, most likely it's based on how long I'm alive._ Further investigation of the implant led him to images of the items he had chosen, and told him what was needed to make them. He willed the implant to close, and sure enough it responded instantly. _OK then! Looks like survival just got a whole lot easier…._

By the time the sun had begun to set, Liam had managed to acquire a small set of tools, which he had crafted simply by gathering sticks and rocks, and asking the implant for the tool that needed them. It broke so many Laws of Physics that his head hurt when he even thought about it, but he didn't question the usefulness of it. Breaking numerous tools in the process, he had started to gather large amounts of materials, stockpiling on wood, rocks, and food from more of the many bushes. He had even learned that by slicing thin strips of fiber from the long leaves of the plants, he could create lengths of strong cords that were used to tie his picks and hatchets together.

However, the best discovery he had made his first day was this: The ocean was drinkable. In a failed attempt to catch a small fish by the shoreline, he had managed to fall face first into the sea, and to his surprise discovered that the water wasn't salty at all! This was a huge revelation, because that meant if he stayed near the coast, he would never have a lack of water. This also meant he wouldn't have to travel inland to unknown territory trying to find a stream.

Another welcome surprise was making a new acquaintance. The duck-bill he had fed earlier had hung close by all day, wondering if more food would come his way. Liam rewarded its patience a few times while shredding bushes for the fiber strands, and it seemed to have decided to trust him. It felt nice to have a companion here, even if they couldn't exactly have intelligent conversations.

Liam had advanced his Engram level another couple levels, and was pleasantly surprised to find that his implant held the blueprints for Thatch building pieces. Creating them however, was a strangely simple process. His engram had a separate section for building structures (even going so far as to consider a campfire pit as a building). Like the tools, Liam simply had to collect the materials needed, and willed the Implant to make the piece he needed. After that, he simply imagined where the structure needed to go, and the implant made it appear with a flash of blue light. Deciding not to venture somewhere he didn't know anything about in the dark, he decided to set up his first home on the beach, right at the base of the cliff he had woken up under. By the time the sun had begun to set, Liam stood before a tiny little box made of thatch, made up of nothing more than four walls and a ceiling.

"Behold, my five-star hotel." He muttered to himself. Still, it was the best he could do for now. He slowly walked inside, curling up uncomfortably on the itchy thatch floor. He slowly drifted into an uneasy sleep, very aware of all the strange animal calls echoing in the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Liam awoke the next day feeling like one huge rash. Thatch might have protected him from the elements, but it was NOT fun to sleep on! "Priority today, make a bed!" He groaned as he made his way out of his pitiful shack, then stopped in surprise. The duck-bill bill from yesterday was sleeping just a couple yards away from the doorway of his house.

Liam found it hard not to smile, despite his situation. "Looks like I might have found myself a permanent companion!" He reached out and knocked on the wall of his house to make some noise, and instantly the animal's head shot up in surprise. It slowly stood up, stretching to wake its sleepy body, then ambled over to Liam, letting out a friendly honk.

Pulling out some more berries from the previous day, he gave his new friend breakfast which was received gratefully. "I wish I could remember what you were called buddy!" Liam told it, slightly annoyed. "Though for now, I think Duck would be an appropriate name."

As if on cue, his arm implant began to flash. He held it up to check the problem, and was met with a screen he hadn't seen before, congratulating him on his new tamed dinosaur. It showed him Duck's physical levels just like his own, and told him two very important things. Duck was a female, and was called a Parasaur. "Well then, I guess you just became a member of the Survivors Club!" Liam cheerfully told Duck, receiving a honk in return. He set off towards the river mouth in the distance, Duck tagging close behind.

The journey to the river didn't take very long, and the entire route was filled with dinosaurs. It was a very humbling experience to say the least, surrounded as he was by animals of enormous size and power. Duck dutifully tagged along behind him, occasionally tearing a leaf off the occasional bush to munch.Whenever they passed a large rock by the water, Liam always made it a point to harvest the stone with his pickaxe, due to the frequency of breakage. Stone harvesting stone made little sense to him, but every strike on the rock would fill his inventory with stone and flint. He then used this to replace his constantly broken picks and hatchets, hoping he could someday access a more efficient tool.

The transition from coast to river bank was very abrupt, as the survivor and his friend entered this strange new land for the first time. The oceanside cliffs to his left gave way to jungle, and he could hear many strange animal calls deep in the trees. The banks of the river were far less populated than the coast, with only the occasional herbivore munching on the plants at the edge of the woods.

By midday, Liam and Duck had traveled a fair distance, moving slowly to avoid unwanted attention. Soon the day grew so hot that the travelers were forced to stop and rest. They took shelter under a large overhanging rock by the river, which provided a clear view of the path ahead. The river appeared to break off in two directions ahead of him, one leading inland, the other breaking back towards the coast. "I'm starting to think we might be living on an island Duck. River on one side, ocean on the other." Duck made no comment ( _Thank goodness),_ but seemed a bit on edge. She kept watching the nearby water, as if it could jump up and eat them at any time.

Liam leaned back nervously and looked up at the sky, and quite nearly swallowed his own tongue in pure shock. There, looming in the distance across the river, was a building. A massive artificial structure looking completely out of place in the wilderness. It was completely black on its exterior, the exception being a bright green light shining near the top of the building. The light was emanating from a shape akin to a huge green diamond, magnifying a powerful light at its center. The round structure seemed to be standing on several stilts, but the forest blocked Liam's view of the bottom. He stood, mesmerized, slowly walking forward as if drawn to it. "There's no way the dinosaurs built that. That had to be built by humans…" He continued walking forward, until he stepped into the flowing river in front of him.

It very nearly cost him his life. At the center of the river, the water seemed to part, revealing a strange crest that seemed to be moving toward him. It was dark grey like the rocks in the river, and continued to rise out of the water as it approached Liam at the water's edge. Behind him Duck began to honk an alarm call, trying to alert Liam to danger. He heeded the warning, backing quickly away from the water towards Duck, now standing up in a defensive position. The rising crest accelerated, until the water ahead of it suddenly boiled and burst, revealing a huge set of jaws filled with large teeth. An earth-shattering roar filled the air as a titanic super-predator charged out of the water towards Liam and Duck. This dinosaur was sadly very familiar to Liam. It was a Spinosaurus, and a very hungry one at that.

"RUN!" Liam screamed at Duck, and the two of them barreled toward the trees, the angry Spino right on their tail. The predator was quickly gaining on them, its four long legs spanning a much longer distance than Liam could ever dream of. Duck reached the shelter of the trees first and looked back to see if Liam was safe too, but there was no way Liam would make it. The Spino was seconds away from striking range. Duck instinctively reacted, ready to defend a family member, and charged back towards the super predator with his bony crest lowered for the charge.

It's doubtful the Spino had ever had its prey turn to face it, and was caught completely unprepared by Ducks body-slam against his head. A couple of the Spino's teeth went flying as it staggered backwards, roaring in surprise. Duck didn't waste its shock, and raced after Liam, who had just made it to safety. By the time the monster had shaken off the hit, Duck and Liam were safely concealed by the trees. The last thing they heard was the Spino's angry roar filling the air, as they plunged deeper into the unknown forest.

Liam had thought that the Spinosaurus attack was as scared as he could get today, but he was wrong. There was something extremely unsettling about the jungle, with the constantly echoing calls of the residents of the canopy. Every now and then he could hear some small creature scurry away through the underbrush, making him jump every time. He walked beside Duck every step of the way, refusing to leave her side. "I don't know if you understand what I tell you, but thank you for saving my life back there. I hardly deserved it, since I've only ever given you berries in return…" To his surprise, his friend seemed to understand completely, and pressed closer to him for support.

The forest shouldn't have lasted as long as it had, as this small island they lived on didn't allow for much room. The problem was that they had no idea where they were going. Several times they doubled back on themselves, trying to find a way out that didn't send them back into the Spino's jaws. Liam couldn't even follow the sound of the ocean, as it was drowned out by the sounds around him. Even though the ocean would lead them to cliffs, he knew the trees at the top left a large open clearing, so he and Duck could follow the edge of the cliff back until they hit the beach in safety.

Nearly an hour passed before Liam finally realized he could hear the pounding of the ocean's waves. "This way girl! Come on!" Duck let out a joyful honk as they turned to follow the sound of the waves, only for Liam to suddenly stop. Duck did as well, then sniffed the air. Her demeanor suddenly changed, lowering her body and swinging her tail back and forth. Liam had stopped because he realized something… he could hear the ocean because the noise of the forest had just stopped.

Completely.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a slight rustle in the brush on the forest floor, and called out his stone hatchet from his inventory. Behind him, Duck turned towards the woods behind then and lowered her head, snorting aggressively. A sickening smell drifted into the air, the scent of rotting meat. His hand tightened around his weapon, his head on a swivel. For a moment everything was quiet, and it got to the point where he was starting to question his instincts.

When the attack came it was so sudden and violent, he had trouble processing it. A lithe shape darted out of the bushes and ran past duck, slashing with small but sharp claws. Duck let out a painful howl, swiveling to face her attacker. As soon as she did so, a new shape came from behind her, repeating the same process. This one however didn't dart into cover as fast, and Liam got a good look at their enemy. It was a Raptor, a smart and deadly pack hunter with sharp teeth and strong claws. He realized he wasn't their target, but he refused to let them harm Duck again. He watched Duck turn again to follow the second Raptor, and then ran behind her. Just as he predicted, another raptor darted in for another attack on Duck. This one however received a slice across the face from Liam's weapon. It stopped its attack and backed up slightly, hissing at Liam. Seconds later, Duck's tail sent it flying sideways into a tree trunk.

As soon as the Raptor pack realized their strategy wouldn't work with Liam covering Duck's blind spot, they all charged in at once baring their teeth. Liam and Duck fought for their lives, doing their best to cover each other from rear attacks. Duck swung both her tail and bony head in wide arcs, sending two raptors flying. Liam meanwhile swiped his weapon at a third Raptor, leaving it with several cuts to the nose. It lashed out with its jaws in response and grabbed Liam's hatchet, tossing it aside. It charged again, but Liam simply took out his pick and brought the point down into the Raptor's head. It collapsed, stone dead.

Moments later, Liam screamed in pain as claws slashed him across his back. Then a heavy weight landed on him, and he could smell the stench of the raptor as it moved to bite his neck. Then the weight vanished, as the Raptor was knocked aside by Duck's powerful head. The remaining few Raptors gathered nearby, analyzing their next move. Not wanting to weaken their pack too much, they withdrew. Liam got to one knee and watched them go, feeling the pain of the scratches on his back growing.

Then he looked at Duck and his heart sank. She was bleeding heavily from many wounds, barely able to stand. With a slight moan she collapsed, breathing hard. Liam immediately ran to her side, ignoring the pain in his back. He grabbed every long leaf he could find, desperate to stem the flow of blood on his friend, but there was far too much blood. He couldn't hope to stop them all. Still he tried, pressing the leaves on as many injuries as he could. Duck lifted her head slightly, looking at Liam with intelligent eyes. She let out a small honk, as if to acknowledge that she knew he tried. Then, as he watched, the friendly dinosaur's head dropped, and she let out her last breath.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The last spike wall materialized into place outside the large wood fence, finally finishing a week long project that had left Liam completely drained. His implant had advanced him to the point where he could create large wooden structures, and one of them was a barrier covered in huge 4 foot wooden spikes. It was the only thing that made him feel safe now…

The death of Duck had taught him a harsh lesson about his new home: He was NEVER safe. At any time he could become lunch for a roaming dinosaur, and as such he had chosen the safest possible path of survival. He built large wooden walls running from the cliffs behind him out to the shoreline, effectively cutting a slice of beach off from any uninvited guests. The only way anything could get in would be to fall from the high cliffs behind the base, or to swim around the walls, and thus far he had seen no sign of large land predators along the beach that would attempt such a thing. Not to mention the spikes on the outside deterred anything from even trying to get in. As for Liam's ease of access, he had built himself a doorway in each wall right up against the cliff, ensuring he had a way in that couldn't be easily broken into.

Now only one mission remained on his mind: He had to find out what that giant building was that he had seen. Up until this point he had not DARED to leave his home island, unwilling to cross into uncharted territory before he had a safe place to live. Now that his home was completed however, he began to give the journey some serious thought. The structure couldn't be more than a few miles away, but that trek would take him straight through predator infested jungle. He had an assortment of primitive tools that he could craft, including a wood and metal pike that had proved to be effective against the roaming raptors. The construction of his home had seen two different attacks from the small hunters, but the open beach plus the length of the pike made stabbing them quite easy. Unfortunately, he knew that the mainland predators would be FAR larger, as proven by the Spinosaurus that patrolled the river forming his island.

Therefore, he had decided that stealth would be his only option. He hadn't wanted to try and tame another dinosaur, mostly to avoid the crushing feeling of loss coming back. So instead he would travel light, with just enough provisions to get him to the tower and back, just in case the worst happened and there was no one there. He would also bring his tool set, so he could adapt to any challenges on the way. No doubt, this would be a terrifying trip… but he had no choice. That night, he packed away some freshly cooked Raptor meat, along with a fair assortment of berries. He would take with him only his new Pike, and his stone hatchet and pick, along with a few materials to repair them. He had the ability to make metal ones, but metal was scarce on the shoreline, barely enough to craft the point on the pike. He settled into an uneasy sleep… terrified of the next day. 

He set out as the sun rose, moving quickly towards where the mouth of the river emptied into the sea. He thought about swimming past the mouth, but he had no idea what could be waiting below the surface of the deep water, so he instead headed inland along the tree line, keeping FAR from the river edge. He stayed as low and silent as possible, doing his best to act like part of the scenery. With any luck, the Spinosaurus would have much bigger prey to worry about than a tiny human, and he doubted any raptors from the woods would dare cross into the Spino's territory. Very quickly he caught sight of the Green Tower, feeling the same strange draw he had felt the day Duck had been killed. Farther and farther he moved, searching desperately for a way across the river that didn't involve swimming.

As was typical of his luck however, there was nothing. No narrow crossings, no stones to cross, and no fallen trees, just an endless river with no end in sight. As the sun rose higher in the sky, the familiar heat began to beat him into the ground. As he rounded a bend in the river, he was happy to see a few Triceratops along the edge of the water, seemingly relaxed while eating the plants that grew there. _If they think it's safe here, then this is the best place to rest._ He made his way to a large pile of boulders opposite the Trikes, sitting down under a tiny overhang to eat some raptor steak. He found slight enjoyment in the thought that he might be eating one of Duck's murderers, though he once again felt the gnawing loneliness that dogged his every step.

 _If I can't find anyone else here soon… then what will the point is of me continuing to survive here?_

Once he finished his meal, he stood and continued down the river, approaching the point where the river began to curve around the back of his little island. He had never gone this far inland before, and the sight that greeted him around the next bend filled him with dread. Up ahead, the river branched in two directions, the main current splitting around his island. The river itself led directly inland, and he could very clearly see swamplands absolutely TEEMING with life. Giant insects flew through the air, and he could see what looked like a massive snake basking on some rocks in the hot sun. There was no way he would DARE trying to go further inland, which meant he now had no choice but to swim across the river farther back.

He turned back the way he had come, looking for the narrowest point possible to cross. It wasn't very long before he returned to the Triceratops herd, passing through the many rocks on his side of the river. While still among the rocks, he approached the water's edge, hoping that maybe some of the rocks might allow him to jump part way into the current, cutting down the time needed to cross. Sadly none of the boulders lay close enough for his purposes, and he was about to turn away when he spotted something. A ripple had formed in the water, making a beeline for the Triceratops herd.

 _Oh no…._.

The ashen grey Spino burst out of the water with unbelievable speed, charging toward a Triceratops that had distanced itself from the herd. The Trike spun towards the sudden noise just as the Spino crashed into it, jaws closing around its bony frill. The trike bellowed and shook its head, wrenching its bleeding head loose and charging forward. The Spino neatly dodged the horns and braced for another charge, then looked up at the sound of more bellowing. The rest of the Trike herd charged forwards, ready to defend their friend. The Spino turned and fled back to the river, the trikes halting at the water's edge to watch it leave.

Before the fight had even ended, Liam had fled for cover. He ran deeper into the boulder field, taking refuge behind a large stone until the Spino had either fled or started eating. Being so focused on the hunt across the river… he almost didn't notice the small bubbling sound next to him. He froze… then slowly turned to see who belonged to the noise. Lying among the towering rocks was a black crocodile so impossibly big that it passed as one of the many boulders. Its eyes were closed, its gentle breathing making a slight gurgling sound as it slept. Liam didn't make a sound… slowly creeping away from the monster. He didn't make a sound… but unfortunately the Spino did. The roaring and bellowing across the river woke the beast, and it opened its eyes to see Liam not 5 feet away from its snout.

With a hiss, the massive crocodile lunged forward with impossible speed, massive jaws snapping at the easy prey. Liam ran in a blind panic, vaulting over rocks in his way in a desperate attempt to escape the giant reptile. It lumbered after him with a growl like an old truck engine, struggling to squeeze through the narrow passages after its tiny prey. For a fleeting moment, Liam thought he might just escape…. then rounded the last rock to reveal open beach. A very hungry and angry grey Spino lumbered out of the water, still sore about its missed kill. It looked at Liam and roared, turning to charge at him. He knew that running was hopeless now, so he closed his eyes and waited for death.

That's when the pursuing Crocodile burst out of the rocks behind him… and the two apex predators caught sight of each other. They stopped dead in their tracks, Liam directly between them. He opened his eyes at the sudden quiet, and then looked around. The beasts were in a standoff, staring at one another over his head. The Crocodile made the first noise, letting out a deep bellow that shook the ground. The Spino responded with a challenging roar, and charged at full speed towards the Croc. Liam dove to the right for all he was worth, barely dodging the Spino's stomping feet as the two predators clashed.

The Crocodile snapped at the approaching Spino just as it reached it, and the creatures locked jaws. The Spino's superior size allowed him to drag the Crocodile out from the rocks, the fight moved onto the open sand. The Spino shook free and tried to flank the Croc, but with blinding speed the reptile lashed out and grabbed the Spino's head in his jaws. The Spino roared in pain and pulled away, its left eye destroyed. The Croc attacked again, latching on to the Spino's side and pulling to try and make its opponent fall. The Spino ripped itself free, blood flowing freely from its wounds. In a desperate gamble the Spino darted forward and clamped its jaws over the Crocs, trapping its only weapon. As the Croc lashed its body to free itself, the Spino stomped on the back of his opponent's neck with a long front leg, and then heaved his head upward. There was a sickening crunch as the Croc's neck broke, and the Spino let his defeated adversary slump to the ground. Liam had been frozen in absolute shock, but now he ran for home with absolutely no thought of continuing to the building. The Spino didn't care, too hurt and tried to care, instead dropping down next to the dead Crocodile and starting to eat.

Liam ran the entire way home, slammed the entry door closed, ran into his house, and collapsed in the corner shaking like a leaf.

 **Author's Note**

 **Yes… I know. It's been a LONG time. I'm sure people seeing this for these past many months thought I had given up on this story.**

 **As you can see, this is not the case. Life has CERTAINLY been busy with a fair share of accidents, repairs, school, bills, and family. But now I can return to this project and continue to hone my skills at writing. Obviously it's rough, but over time I hope to become a worthy writer with the feedback I receive here. I still can't give any schedule, but I can promise there will never be a gap like that again.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Liam didn't come out of his home for three days after that showdown. With so many apex predators around, coupled with the width of the river, there just didn't seem to be a way to get to the structure without being eaten. He needed a safe way across, and that didn't appear possible…

He finally left due to hunger, his last stores of food spoiling. _What I wouldn't give for a refrigerator_ he lamented, traveling to the nearest bushes to dig up new berries. He looked up at the sound of footsteps, to see a lone Oviraptor head to the water to drink. Though he hated doing this, he summoned a spear and tossed it. The dinosaur went down, and he finished it off with another spear to the heart.

He quickly harvested the meat, still weirded out by how the meat just vanished into his implant instead of falling. This entire place felt… wrong, not even including the dinosaurs. Almost unnatural, like living in a dream world of some kind. The technology needed for such a device was science fiction, and yet here it was. _Then again, for all I remember, this could have been normal back home….. wherever that is…_

He was just starting back towards the fort when he heard it….. a soft wheezing sound. It was coming from the treeline above him, close to where the cliff disappeared and became level with the sand. Whatever was making that noise was clearly hurt… probably on its last legs. _Close to safety… might be worth checking. I can get some easy meat that way._

He made certain that he held his pike however, no longer taking chances in this place. He slowly made his way up the slope….. and the smell of blood hit him almost immediately. Something was hurt badly just beyond the bushes, most likely prey that had ripped free.

 _Well, it doesn't sound long for this world…_ he thought, and readying his pike for a mercy killing he broke through the bushes.

And froze.

The blood covering the beast was so thick that the grey hide was almost invisible. There was no mistaking that fin however… it was the Spino. Bloodied, half blinded, and breathing hard from exhaustion. It looked far worse than after the fight, likely driven from its kill. Liam was too terrified to run… though as he looked on, he realized he was in no danger. This dinosaur wasn't going anywhere… not a chance.

 _Wait…. Why not finish it off?! It's heart is wide open to strike… and that's one less predator!_ He thought suddenly. Pike at the ready, he made his way forward towards its chest. He was about ten feet away when the beast stirred, sniffing the air. With a painful moaning sound, the Spino's head slid around, its long neck letting it bring it's good right eye around to face Liam. The massive predator looked him over, noticing the sharp pike in his hands. With an intelligence eerily like Duck's, it gave Liam a look of fear.

 _How….. how can these animals have such intelligence?! They seem almost human…_ he screamed in his head, the tip of the pike trembling. He readied himself to strike, trying not to look at the dinosaur's face. The Spino let out a painful breath, relaxing in defeat. It knew Liam's intentions… and was powerless to stop him, so it just watched him as he aimed the weapon at it's chest.

He hesitated… one second, then two. He glanced at the animal's sad gaze, reminded of Duck's last moments. _Man up! This thing would kill you in a second!_ He tried to reason, and reared back… then sighed and backed up. The Spino starred in surprise, watching him with confusion. Liam backed up a bit and kneeled, cursing himself for being so weak. _You won't last long out here at this rate… how come you could fight Raptors, but not kill a predator ten times their size?!_

He was so absorbed in his inner battle, that he failed to notice the smell of rotting meat overcoming the blood stench until it was too late. He looked back at the sound of a breaking branch, just as a lone raptor leaped at him from behind. They rolled together, his pike flying off to the side. They landed by the Spino's tail, the raptor pinning him down with a snarl.

Liam didn't have a prayer of breaking free. The raptor's body pinned him perfectly, it's clawed feet stomping painfully on his arms as it leaned in to bite his neck. He closed his eyes…. Until the weight vanished with a thump. He opened his eyes in surprise, in time to see the Spino's tail sluggishly return to the ground. In its weakened state, the Spino's tail swipe would be a love tap to any healthy competitor… but to the raptor it was like being hit by a tree. It went flying to the side, slamming into a tree trunk with a yelp. Not questioning his luck, Liam wasted no time running to his pike, bringing up the tip in time to skewer the charging Raptor.

Breathing hard, he looked at the Spino in surprise. The big dino was just staring at him, it's eye reflecting no clear emotion. _There's no way….. Is there?_ Liam mused. As crazy as the idea of it helping him seemed, he decided to thank it nonetheless. He grabbed the handle of his pike and dragged the dead Raptor towards the Spino's jaws. Just out of biting range, he yanked out the pike and moved to the other side of the body, shoving it at the Spino and moving clear.

It looked at the sudden gift in surprise, glancing at Liam for a moment before tearing into the food. As it ate, Liam raised his implant in curiosity. Sure enough, the Spino's stats appeared in front of him… and its health was going up as it ate. It was a male, and a powerful one at that. No doubt this Spino was the boss in his territory before his injuries, and with any luck we would return there after healing.

 _Probably best to leave now…. In case it decides that isn't enough food_ he decided, and after adding most of the meat from the Oviraptor earlier to the food pile, he left the Spino to eat in peace. He made sure to wade through the water once back on the beach, hiding his scent trail as he headed for his house. _If that was a dumb idea...I'll know soon_ he reasoned, laying down to rest. He was clearly not cut out for surviving here alone, so if the Spino came for him, at least it would be a quick end….


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Liam was amazed that he woke up the following day. The Spino hadn't appeared the entire night, and stepping out his door he found his view of the ocean unhindered by any large teeth. _So… is it too early to hope?_ He thought, gingerly peering out the door in his wall.

Nothing but the usual parasaurs and Trikes. He waited until midday before walking out of his wooden fort, and still there was no sign of the spino anywhere. The heavy breathing from the cliffs had ceased, and Liam finally let himself relax. _He's gone… back to his river. Back in the way of the building…_ he realized with annoyance, his mind returning once again to his goal. He speared a couple Dodo birds up the beach, turning to head back to the house…..

A massive grey head peered out of the trees, barely ten yards away. The Spino's head was slightly tilted to the left, his good right eye looking Liam over cautiously. He didn't move an inch as the enormous dinosaur slowly stepped out onto the beach, it's movements more curious than threatening. It stopped just two yards away… sniffing him carefully. On a whim, Liam very slowly raised his arm, dropping the pile of Dodo meat in front of the creature.

The spino sniffed it carefully, then gingerly licked it up. The pile was barely two mouthfuls for it, but it let out what Liam could only describe as a purr. That's when his implant began to flash, and he raised it cautiously to get a familiar pop-up in his face:

 _Congratulations on your new tame!_

It didn't register at first. He looked over the dinosaur carefully with barely concealed terror, waiting for any sort of aggressive move. But the Spino just stood calmly, lowering its head to his level and waiting for his next move. Liam tentatively reached out a hand… and the Spino pressed its nose against it. The skin of the behemoth was surprisingly smooth, though extremely tough. More importantly… it wasn't removing his arm.

"There's no way….. I'm not this lucky…" he whispered. Remembering how Duck seemed to understand him once tamed, he croaked out a nervous command. "L...Lie down."

The Spino let out a light huff and settled down, lightly wincing from it's remaining wounds. A smile slowly bloomed across Liam's face. "Alright, I'm convinced. Apparently I CAN be lucky! Welcome to the Survivors club…. and I suspect you aren't going to be so easy to lose!"

He gestured to the nearby herbivores. "Are you able to hunt yet? Or do you need some more care first?"

The spino glanced at the dinos, then at the water. He stepped into the water with surprising silence, and with a sudden strike he thrust his head into the water. He came up with a huge fish in his jaws, glancing back at Liam with his good eye as he ate his prize.

"Ok then…I guess you're fine! Eat whatever you need, I haven't learned to fish quite yet anyway-" he started to say, until the Spino grabbed another fish. He dropped it at Liam's feet, nudging it towards him with a soft purr. He picked it up with shock. "Oh….thank you?" He managed to say, his fears of the future falling away bit by bit. He glanced up at his new friend with a wide smile.

"I think you and I are going to be just fine." he said with a grin. He headed for his house with the Spino following like a dog, every footstep causing the ground to tremble. Once at the door in his wall, he turned to his new acquaintance. "Waterfront property. Hopefully that meets with your approval?"

The Spino looked over the wooden spikes and huffed, turning and heading into the water to do some more fishing. Liam watched him swim for a minute, still blown away by this turn of events. He carried the fish inside and pulled it into his implant, pulling out a bit of clean meat to cook. _At long last… things might actually start going my way_ …

No sooner had he thought this, than there was a colossal electronic roar. It sounded like a thousand Oil Tankers blowing their horns at once, and was immediately followed by a blue ripple of light flashing through the sky. Out in the water the Spino looked up in surprise, and Liam's implant vibrated painfully in his arm. He pulled it up in shock, relieved to see the inventory was untouched.

Then he looked at the engrams screen… and froze. It was completely blank, without a single blueprint or future blueprints remaining to use. He closed it and opened it a few times, but the result was the same. _No...no, no, no…._

Just when he finally seemed set, when things had just turned in his favor…..

His greatest tool for creating things was now gone.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next day found no change in his implant. None of the engrams remained… and the level meter had entirely disappeared. He'd gotten very little sleep trying to rethink survival, and headed out his door to take on another day.

The Spino had made his way around the walls and onto the open shoreline in front of his house, and it was after a few moments of screaming that he remembered it was friendly. The spino shook its head to clear its ringing ears, snorting indignantly.

"Well I'm SORRY! The last few times we met you tried to eat me!" Liam protested, walking up to it and attempting to check it's stats. Nothing… his implant seemed to be unable to process data OR blueprints anymore.

"Better and better…" Liam muttered, glancing up at the spino's bored face. "I guess I'll figure out how to build by hand, but right now… I have another order of business to deal with…"

Liam sat down facing him. "You need a name."

The Spino perked up a bit, looking at him curiously. "Let's see… I've never been good at this…" he murmured, looking it over. "You're a perfect stone grey… Stone perhaps? Oh! How about Clay?"

The dino tilted its head a bit, then gave a light huff.

"I'll assume that is a yes. Now Clay… I have a problem that I need to solve. There is a huge structure that way, where your river is located. You were the biggest danger for my crossing, but there are still other threats. I also can't risk a swim… so I need a way across. Think you can help me place logs for a raft?"

Clay gave an indignant snort, and without warning reached out and gently grabbed Liam in his jaws. "WOAH HEY!" he called out in a panic, but Clay ignored him and flipped him up in the air. Liam landed neatly on his head, and Clay immediately turned and leapt into the water with Liam clinging on for dear life. He swam in a circle three times, then powered back to shore and dumped him on the sand without a single drop of water touching him. He laid down in front of Liam and gave him a sarcastic look.

"Ok….. master of the water…. Point taken." Liam whimpered, and Clay gave a snort in reply.

The Green tower was still a long journey, but with a walking and swimming killing machine as transportation….maybe he finally had a chance? "Alright, let's not delay then. I'll gather some provisions, and we'll be off."

He paused. "Let's just hope I can find answers of some kind there… at least some other people!"

Clay just chuffed, watching as he ran into his fortress to gear up. Thankfully the inventory still worked perfectly, and he loaded up tools and a pike in case of emergency. _I need to be careful of my tools!_ He realized with a start. _I can't make new ones anymore, at least not metal ones!_ He decided to only bring an axe, which allowed for both cutting firewood AND killing threats.

Once he had everything, he came out and let out a whistle, and Clay immediately bounded over. "OK, let's see if this building is worth all the pain and near-death experiences I've been through." he muttered, and started towards the river with Clay in tow. As he walked, he kept a close eye on his new companion out of both curiosity and fear.

The enormous predator's behavior was very different from the sporadic animalistic movements on the wild dinos nearby. It was as if taming the animals on this island gave them a completely new personality, adding to the growing feeling that everything here was intelligently designed. Though why it had been created at all was beyond him, and try as he might he couldn't rationalize any of it.

Upon reaching the river crossing, Clay immediately grabbed Liam in his jaws and repeated his ocean demonstration. The Spino's powerful webbed feet thrust them forward at the speed of a motorboat, and the once impossible crossing was over in mere seconds. Clay deposited Liam gently on the far shore, giving a satisfied stretch after his swim.

"We seriously need to figure out a new way to do that." Liam muttered, attempting to wipe the dino drool off his clothes. He glanced around at the dense forest before them, catching sight of the green light of the tower shining through the leaves. He quickly started towards it, with Clay keeping pace as Liam broke into a sprint.

With the tower now reachable, the draw he had felt before returned with a vengeance. It filled his mind with the desire to touch it, taking hold of every bit of sanity he possessed.

So much so, that he almost missed the scream coming from the woods to his left. He stopped so suddenly that Clay nearly ran over him, stopping with a surprised snort.

He listened carefully for about thirty seconds, and had just convinced himself he was going crazy when he heard another yelp. The realization of what it was came crashing down on him, and he charged towards the sound with all the speed he could manage.

It was a human scream.


End file.
